The Inquirer is lamenting the loss of Philadelphia political power:
Philadelphia is quickly losing clout in Harrisburg, and considering the city’s budget crisis, it couldn’t happen at a worse time.
First, after Democratic voting last week, Carbon County State Rep. Keith McCall is all but certain to assume the title of House speaker come January – a title held by Philadelphians for the last five years.
For gun owners, Keith McCall is an NRA A+ rated Democrat from Carbon County. Our previous speaker was actually Philadelphia Republican Dennis O’Brein, who was also an A rated guy on our issue, but it’s good that the seat doesn’t appear to be going to a big city Dem.
They also lament the loss of Vince Fumo’s top Democratic spot in the Senate Appropriations committee to an Allegeny County Dem. Fumo did not run for re-election because he is currently under a 139 count indictment by the feds for fraud and various other malfeasance. The Democrats did gain one house seat in Pennsylvania’s House, increasing their lead to a whopping two seats. But the departure of Fumo and the Philadelphia political machine from important positions is something to feel good about.